The short version: Beverages are roughly half of all hotel lobby market sales. Bottled water is the single highest-velocity SKU. Top markets carry 80–200 items, lean into depth on the bestsellers, and stock with the 8pm–2am buyer in mind. Trying to be a mini grocery store is a common failure mode.
The single most useful number for anyone planning or fixing a lobby market: beverages drive about 50% of total revenue. Within that, bottled water consistently sits at the top — usually 20oz formats — followed by full-line soft drinks (Coke, Diet, Zero, Sprite) and the energy/sports drink category.
If the cooler isn’t full and front-and-center in your floor plan, you’re leaving the largest line item on the table.
What actually moves
The category breakdown that holds up across properties:
Bottled water. Multiple brands work. Single-serve and larger formats both matter — different buyers, different use cases. Single-serve covers immediate need; larger sizes cover in-room consumption.
Soft drinks. Full lineups outperform “pick one.” A market carrying Coke, Diet Coke, Zero, Sprite, and Dr Pepper will outperform one trying to optimize down to two SKUs.
Energy and sports drinks. High velocity, especially evenings, with strong margins. Red Bull, Monster, Celsius, Gatorade lead.
Snacks and candy. The natural pairing with a beverage purchase. Chocolate, chips, grab-and-go salty/sweet.
Ice cream and frozen. Strong impulse category, mostly late-night. Markets with even a small freezer typically see meaningful revenue lift over those without one.
Travel essentials. Toothbrush kits, pain relievers, deodorant, laundry pods, phone chargers. High-margin and high-urgency — these sell at full price because the alternative is leaving the property at 11pm.
What doesn’t sell
- Niche or specialty items that look interesting on a planogram but never move
- Bulk or large-pack products (guests are buying for one trip, not for the household)
- Anything that requires preparation
- Refrigerated meals with short shelf life and inconsistent demand
Depth beats variety
This is the rule that separates strong markets from average ones, and it’s counterintuitive. A market with four facings of bottled water, three of Coke, three of Diet, and two of Zero will outperform a market with one facing each of twelve different beverage brands. Every time.
Spreading shelf space across “interesting” SKUs costs you sales on the items that actually drive revenue. It’s the same pattern that explains why most hotel lobby markets underperform.
How guests actually buy
- Average item price: ~$5–$6
- Average ticket: ~$10–$11
- Typical basket: 2 items per visit
The basket combos that show up most often:
- Water + snack
- Soda + candy
- Energy drink + protein bar
- Toothbrush + beverage
Merchandising should reinforce these — pair complementary items physically near each other and never let one half of a combo go out of stock at the same time.
Why product mix has outsized impact on revenue
Markets with optimized assortment can generate 2–3x more revenue than poorly curated ones in the same hotel, with the same footprint, in front of the same guests. The ceiling is set less by demand than by what’s on the shelves.
For the full economic picture, see are hotel lobby markets profitable and how much a hotel lobby market costs.
How a managed model handles this
In a managed lobby market like GrabScanGo, the operator analyzes SKU-level performance and rotates the assortment continuously based on velocity, margin, stockout frequency, and daypart performance — especially the 8pm–2am window. Most hotel teams don’t have the time, the data, or the category expertise to do that manually, which is why hotel-run markets often plateau and managed markets keep growing.
For the full strategy, see the complete hotel lobby market guide.
FAQ
What is the #1 selling product?
Bottled water, with 20oz formats outperforming smaller and larger sizes.
How many products should we carry?
Most high-performing markets sit between 80 and 200 SKUs. Going wider usually fragments the assortment without adding revenue.
Should we offer healthy options?
Yes — but as a complement, not a replacement. Protein bars, healthier snacks, and zero-sugar drinks all have real demand.
Are local or regional brands worth stocking?
Often yes, especially for resorts and destination properties — but only if they don’t displace top-selling national brands.
